DailyMississippian The
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
thedmonline.com
Vol. 100 No. 291
Businesses prepare for Double Decker weekend
FILE PHOTO (ALEX EDWARDS) | The Daily Mississippian
BY MARY KELLEY ZELESKEY marykelleyzelesky@gmail.com
What used to be a single day dedicated to food, music and art is taking another shot at extending the festivities. This year’s Double Decker Festival will, like last spring, be a two-day event. “We got such positive feedback on the two-day format, so we decided to officially try it last year and felt it was successful enough to try again this year,” MaryKathryn Herrington, director of tourism and marketing, said. This year marks the 175th
birthday of Oxford, which helped raise more sponsorship dollars, allowing more money to be spent on the festival. Herrington said putting on a two-day event like Double Decker gives a good jolt to the economy in a small town like Oxford. “We’re slammed for the whole weekend,” Megan Patton, parttime manager of Ajax Diner, said. “It is definitely our biggest weekend of the whole year, even bigger than some football games. It’s crazy but in a good way.” While Double Decker keeps several businesses in town and on
The Square slammed throughout the weekend, not all businesses feel the extreme effects. “Double Decker is better than an average weekend when nothing is happening,” Lyn Roberts, Square Books manager, said. “However, it is not much better than a football weekend, graduation or Grove Bowl.” Roberts has worked at Square Books for 22 years and has been the manager for about 10. After the festival became a twoday event, the overall revenue of Square Books did not really increase. Roberts credits this to the fact that not every person
Alumni inducted into Law Hall of Fame
that comes through their doors makes a purchase. So, while more people may be around, that doesn’t mean they are all spending money. The extra sponsors have contributed to Oxford’s 175th anniversary celebration, allotting more money for extra festivities. The Double Decker Festival welcomes people from near and far, bringing locals, alumni and students into the small town for a few days. “It brings in parents, friends and alumni who enjoy the weekend and are willing to spend money, so the businesses defi-
Pride of the South benefit concert looks to increase scholarship funds BY HOUSTON BROCK jhbrock92@gmail.com
FORREST SMITH | The Daily Mississippian
Five Ole Miss Law School alumni were inducted into the Hall of Fame this past Saturday. Inductees include the late William M. Champion, late Thomas R. Ethridge, both being accepted by friends and family and other recipients from right to left Lenore L. Prather, Frank D. Montague and Lawrence J. Franck.
BY JENNIFER NASSAR jennifernassar2@gmail.com
Five law school alumni were inducted into the 2012 Law Alumni Hall of Fame during Law Alumni Weekend. It was the third Law Alumni Hall of Fame induction. The Alumni Board makes the Alumni Hall of Fame selection and takes nominations throughout the year. Dean of the Law School Richard Gershon said the inductees are selected for their contributions to the law profession and society. “They are lawyers who have not only been outstanding lawyers, but they have been outstanding
contributors to their communities and to the university,” Gershon said. “They’re the kinds of people that we want our current students to look at and say, ‘Hey, they were here not long ago, and now look at all they’re doing with their law degrees.’” The five inductees were Lawrence J. Franck of Madison, Frank D. Montague Jr. of Hattiesburg, Lenore L. Prather of Columbus, the late William M. Champion and the late Thomas R. Etheridge. “Professor Champion was a beloved teacher here,” Gershon said.
“He was teacher of the year for the university one year, and he was named a fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation after he had passed away.” Etheridge was the first full-time U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi and served as a Mississippi state senator from 1948 to 1954. Franck has held several positions and has won many awards throughout his legal career, including president of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association and the Mississippi Bar Lifetime Achievement Award. See LAW, PAGE 3
nitely benefit,” journalism junior Alexa Bode said. “Hotels and restaurants are always packed, as well as the stores. Double Decker definitely gives a boost to the economy of Oxford.” Due to weather conditions in 2010, the Double Decker Festival in Oxford was forced to become a two-day event instead of one. Although a two-day festival is more expensive, Oxford received a very good response to the unexpected change. For more information on this year’s event visit, http://www. oxfordcvb.com/doubledecker/ index.html.
The Wind Ensemble will perform at the Ford Center tonight, celebrating the 12th year of the Pride of the South Benefit Concert. The event is free and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. The goal of the concert is to raise money for the band’s scholarship fund, currently set at $2 million for their endowment fund. This concert can give them some financial stability regarding the allocation of student scholarships. Sophomore bassoon player Jodi Gilles believes more money
will help recruit new band members. “We don’t get as much money as we deserve,” Gilles said. “More money will help us attract the best musicians in the state and the country.” Nancy Frohn, the band’s benefit chair, said out-of-state tuition used to be waived for students who wanted to join the University of Mississippi band, but the Institutions of Higher Learning ended that waiver seven years ago. Frohn also said they raise their fundraising goal every year to meet their financial demands. See CONCERT, PAGE 3
AUSTIN MCAFEE| The Daily Mississippian
The Pride of the South band performs at this past weekend’s Grove Bowl. The Wind Ensemble will perform at the Ford Center tonight at 7:30 p.m. to raise money for the band’s scholarship fund.